Long Beach Sweeps Gauchos

LONG BEACH, Calif. -
A weekend which saw the UC Santa Barbara women's volleyball team start in first place, saw them finish with a pair of losses and end the weekend in fourth place. And so it goes in the topsy-turvy Big West Conference.

The Gauchos were swept for the second straight night, this time losing 25-20, 25-19, 25-23 to Long Beach State on Saturday after falling in three the previous evening to Cal State Fullerton.

Santa Barbara drops to 13-11 overall and 7-4 in the Big West while Long Beach State improves to 17-6, 7-3.

The top half of the Big West currently looks like this - Cal State Fullerton, 8-2; Long Beach State, 7-3; Cal Poly 8-4; UCSB 7-4; UC Davis, 7-4; Pacific 7-4.

"We definitely played much better than Friday," UCSB head coach Kathy Gregory said. "Offensively we weren't as sharp as we could have been. Our all-around intensity was better, but offensively, we were struggling."

UCSB had another difficult night on the offensive end, hitting just .158 for the match and again had just one player reach double figures in kills. Charlene DeHoog had 12 kills for the Gauchos while Lily Lopez and Stacey Schmidt had seven each.

Tied at 18-18 in the first set, Long Beach State rattled off five of the next six points to take a 23-19 lead.

In the second game, UCSB played close in the early going, tied at 11-11, before the 49ers won the next five points, withstood a small rally from the Gauchos and then turned a 20-16 lead into a victory on a pair of kills, a service ace and a block.

UCSB did not concede the final set, though. A see-saw battle eventually had the 49ers ahead 22-17 before a Lopez kill, a pair of blocks from DeHoog and Kasey Kipp and a DeHoog kill brought the Gauchos to 23-22. However, Long Beach State was able to hold off the Gauchos and take the match.

UCSB returns home for its longest homestand of the season with four matches, beginning on Tuesday, Nov. 2 vs. UC Riverside. Tickets for UCSB home matches are available by calling (805) 893-UCSB or by clicking here.

 Stay in Touch With the Gauchos
UCSB players are frequently updating Gaucho fans about the team through the school's website - UCSBgauchos.com, or by clicking here. Defensive specialist Katie Ring will regularly write in her "Ring it On" blog and libero Chelsey Lowe provides constant Twitter updates. Follow her at twitter.com/ucsbvolleyball.

The Intercollegiate Athletics Ticket Office has two parking spaces adjacent to the building and is now open on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., making it easier than ever for fans to purchase tickets. The two parking spots, designated specifically for the Ticket Office, are also available during weekday hours, which are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The Gaucho Fund, launched as part of the Dare to Be Great strategic plan, is UCSB Athletics' annual giving program to provide vital funding support for scholarships, academic success and leadership development for Gaucho student-athletes. The Gaucho Fund is the anchor to the Dare to Be Great campaign.

GKids is the official kids club of UCSB Athletics. Members receive a free GKids t-shirt, free admittance to tons of Gaucho games, opportunities to be ball boys and girls at games, a special birthday greeting from Olie (the GKids mascot) and much, much more! For more information on GKids, or to become a member, please click here.